The folks who run GDC Europe are pleased to announce a partnership with Aruba Events to offer attendees of its Respawn convention free access to the GDC Europe 2014 Expo Floor and a discount on the full GDC Europe 2014 conference pass, which grants access to lectures and panels with significant, applicable takeaways for today's video game community.

Furthermore, GDC Europe and the organizers of Respawn will team up on the evening of August 12 to host the 'GDC Europe and Respawn Developer Night' party in Cologne, Germany.

Of course, GDC Europe will continue to serve the pan-European game industry by gathering the world's leading game development professionals to discuss current trends across platforms and industry disciplines. The 2013 event, which hosted a record number of nearly 2,250 attendees, included highlights such Oculus VR co-founders Palmer Luckey and Nate Mitchell discussing a path forward for better VR games and Ubisoft's Far Cry 3 director Patrick Plourde's debut of the new JRPG title Child of Light.

Industry veterans hosted panel discussions, lectures and talks including standouts like industry legend Don Daglow 's talk about next-gen challenges and how to think beyond graphics and Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls developer David Cage' compelling talk on the future of cinematic games and why developers must learn from the film industry.

"Respawn and GDC Europe share the goal of giving developers a venue to learn and network with key industry figures," said Meggan Scavio, General Manager of all Game Developers Conference events. "Now that Respawn ticketholders can attend the GDC Europe Expo for free, and have a discounted rate for a full GDC Europe pass, they can truly make the most of their visit with ample opportunity to improve their craft and meet with likeminded talent."

"Last year, 'Respawn - Gathering of Game Developers' was viewed by some in the industry as an event to rival GDC Europe head-on. In fact, however, it has been our intention from the very start to create a fitting complement to the 'gamescom' week in Cologne," said Stephan Reichart, Aruba Events managing director and Respawn organizer. "Thus, we are very happy about our official cooperation with GDC Europe this year. The coordinated organization of both events will allow us to provide an even broader palette for all and promote a more targeted and effective exchange among the trade visitors."

Organized by UBM Tech Game Network, GDC Europe, now in its sixth year in Cologne, Germany, will run Monday through Wednesday, August 11-13 at the Cologne Congress-Centrum Ost. Respawn takes place from August 12-13 at DOCK.ONE, directly before the gamescom convention begins.